It's official: Maroon out

By Brent Zwernemanbzwerneman@express-news.net

Published 11:53 pm, Wednesday, August 31, 2011

COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M is down to a final step in its methodical march out of the Big 12 and into the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies on Wednesday notified the Big 12 of their impending exit and desire to join another league. The move was a giant, conference-rattling stride resounding all the way to the East Coast.

“If Texas A&M joins the SEC, we will welcome them,” South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier said. “They would be a huge addition.”

That final step is expected early next week. For now, A&M explained why it's seeking to exit the Big 12 in time to play football in the SEC a year from now — without mentioning the SEC. The SEC presidents are expected to approve A&M's entrance as early as Tuesday.

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“We are seeking to generate greater visibility nationwide for Texas A&M and our championship-caliber student-athletes, as well as secure the necessary and stable financial resources to support our athletic and academic programs,” A&M president R. Bowen Loftin said in a statement. “This is a 100-year decision that we have addressed carefully and methodically. Texas A&M is an extraordinary institution, and we look forward to what the future may hold for Aggies worldwide.”

A&M's focus shifts to their season opener against SMU at a sold-out Kyle Field on Sunday night, in what's now its final season in the Big 12.

A&M's administration, too, has requested that its coaches not comment on the Aggies' impending move, but a few SEC football coaches chimed in on the subject Wednesday during their weekly conference call with reporters.

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“It gives us a Texas draw,” LSU coach Les Miles said of a Texas school moving to the SEC, which has won the last five football national titles.

“I've always had a lot of respect for that program,” Tennessee coach Derek Dooley said of A&M. “I've recruited just about every part of Texas for a long time. I'm not sure what impact (A&M's inclusion) will have — that's all out of my hands.”

And, for at least a few days, it's out of the Aggies' hands, as they wait on SEC approval. Privately, A&M insiders are confident the SEC presidents' thumbs-up will come within a week. The Aggies are expected to pay a Big 12 exit fee in the $13-15 million range — funds that the Big 12 will simply withhold next year.

The Big 12 responded Wednesday to A&M's exit.

“The chancellors and presidents of the Big 12 are committed to keeping our conference competitively and academically strong,” said Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton, Big 12 board chairman. “We have a process in place that enables us to move aggressively regarding the possible expansion of the conference, and to assure our members and student-athletes that we will take advantage of the most productive opportunities in the best interests of all.”

Added Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe: “The presidents and chancellors of the nine remaining member institutions are steadfast in their commitment to the Big 12. As previously stated, the conference will move forward aggressively exploring its membership options.”

BYU, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Houston and SMU all are considered potential replacements for the Aggies, according to various media reports, with BYU apparently topping the list. BYU issued a statement reading in part: “There is much speculation right now regarding conference affiliation that seems to change by the hour. Commenting on such conjecture is not productive and creates a distraction for our program.”

The Aggies will have spent 16 seasons in the league that started in 1996 after residing in the now-defunct Southwest Conference from 1915-95. On July 21st, following a meeting by A&M's regents, Loftin said that the upstart Longhorn Network — a $300 million venture funded by ESPN — had created “uncertainty” in the Big 12, because of the Texas network's desire to air high school content and Big 12 football games.

A&M athletic director Bill Byrne also took on the issue in his weekly online address Wednesday.

“We anticipate that ESPN will continue to push the envelope with the Longhorn Network, regardless of Texas A&M's conference affiliation,” Byrne wrote.

Since July, A&M brass has contended that while the Longhorn Network provided the spark for the Aggies' move, A&M's Big 12 exit had more to do with finding more security, stability and profitability in another league.

“We appreciate the Big 12's willingness to engage in a dialogue to end our relationship through a mutually agreeable settlement,” Loftin said. “We, too, desire that this process be as amicable and prompt as possible and result in a resolution of all outstanding issues, including mutual waivers by Texas A&M and the conference on behalf of all the remaining members.”

A&M considered the waiving of any potential lawsuits a huge factor in its pursuit of the SEC, as both the Aggies and the SEC established a paper trail over the past month that A&M pursued the SEC, and not the other way around.

Whether A&M takes on UT and longtime league rivals Baylor and Texas Tech in nonconference games is to be determined, although the Aggies have expressed a desire to continue playing UT in football around Thanksgiving.